You guys know the drill.
Allegedly, unnamed “Republicans” have approached Mark Cuban about taking on Donald Trump in a third-party bid. This might be a case of learning a lesson too well. Regardless, the only third party bid that matters is one that can take a state or two and throw the election in the House. And if you don’t follow that last point, go read the very clear text of the 12th Amendment and hope for salvation.
Public health experts from Hahvahd strongly advise that Brazil cancel the Olympics because Zika. We know a little bit about public health, and agree with the recommendation. The rationale in the linked article, however, pains us because it in part rests on chattering class moralizing:
Dr. Richard E. Besser, ABC News’s chief health and medical editor, highlighted five things that report author Amir Attaran identifies in defense of such a drastic recommendation: Rio’s proximity to the disease; the dangers associated with this particular strain; the increase in tourism that will risk spreading the Zika virus to other countries; the short amount of time health officials will have to develop control measures; and, finally, what Attaran calls the irresponsibility in placing sports above public health. (Emphasis added.)
Two observations. First, our Western notions of individual rights really date from the antibiotic era. This is no coincidence, because fighting infectious disease involves the elevation of collective interests over the individual. If antibiotics fail or lethal viruses emerge in the West, expect to see us retreat from individual rights. It will take time and plenty of litigation, but it will happen. You read it here first.
Second, since when don’t we “place sports above public health”? Anybody look at the injury rates in football, the social consequences of poor kids chasing the dream of the NBA, the environmental impact of golf courses, or the public health consequences of lying around drinking beer and watching sports on TV? We all put sports above public health, and that is just as well, too. Maximizing life span is not the highest value, or ought not be.
This is apparently real:
Retweeted . (@DBN_clay):
This is legit.. pic.twitter.com/BiQyvuahhM https://t.co/6OxriUOfA3
— Danielle Kenyon (@drkenyon) May 15, 2016
Question authority, and resist stereotypes.
Who could have seen this coming?
Many downtown goers left stranded after first weekend without Uber and Lyft https://t.co/5SzJhveEkz pic.twitter.com/vLvOl392BG
— FOX 7 Austin (@fox7austin) May 15, 2016
Besides everyone, we mean. Remember, when a consequence is not only predictable but predicted, it is not unintentional. Punch back twice as hard.
Really revolting people shaking down small businesses in the name of social justice. The combination of virtue-signaling and greed is especially despicable. Don’t invite these people to cocktail parties.
Live free or die.
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